When someone says “Smile!” what are your first thoughts? Do you feel anxious or self-conscious about showing off your teeth? If so, it may be time to consider cosmetic dentistry.
Contrary to what you may have heard, cosmetic dentistry is not just for the rich and famous. Everyone deserves to feel confident in their smile, and there are several safe and effective cosmetic dental treatments that can help any patient achieve the smile they’ve always dreamed of.
Here are some of the cosmetic dental treatments our patients love the most:
Teeth Whitening
Habits like smoking and drinking dark liquids can cause your teeth to become yellowed and stained over time. But honestly, as you age, you may experience some tooth yellowing even if you don’t smoke or drink coffee. At-home remedies like whitening toothpaste and whitening strips can help a little, but if you’re dealing with more than minor staining, your best bet is to see your dentist.
A dentist, like those at Orange City Modern Dentistry, can design a set of custom whitening trays to fit your teeth. They’ll send you home with these trays, a potent bleaching gel, and a specific set of instructions to follow. If you use the whitening trays each day as directed, you’ll experience remarkable results in just a few weeks.
Why is professional whitening so much more effective than over-the-counter strips? Because the trays are customized, and because your dentist is overseeing your care, the bleaching solution is much stronger and more effective than anything sold over the counter. And while some patients with really thin enamel or sensitive gums aren’t good candidates for whitening, most patients can undergo professional whitening safely with no serious side effects.
Gum Contouring
Do you feel like your teeth look too short and stumpy? Maybe all you see when you smile are gums. If a gummy smile is eroding your confidence, talk to your dentist about a cosmetic dentistry treatment called gum contouring.
Gum contouring is a treatment in which your dentist removes excess gum tissue from around your teeth. They can contour around all of your teeth or just a few, depending on your current gum structure and goals.
Before a gum contouring treatment, your dentist will talk to you about your goals. They’ll also take x-rays and examine your mouth to get a better idea of how much tissue can be removed to best complement your facial structure and preserve your dental health.
The gum contouring procedure itself is done with local anesthetic, so you won’t feel a thing. While you’ll need to rest and stick to soft foods for a few days, most patients heal quickly with no serious complications. You may even find you have an easier time brushing, flossing, and otherwise caring for your teeth once the excess gum tissue has been removed.
Bonding
Maybe it’s a specific chip or crack in a tooth that has you feeling glum. Some small chips aren’t a big threat to dental health, so you may not have had it taken care of when it happened. That doesn’t mean you have to look at your chipped tooth for the rest of your life. A procedure called dental bonding is excellent for camouflaging chips and cracks, and also for filling excessive gaps between teeth.
Dental bonding is not that much different than getting a filling. Your dentist will prepare a special, composite resin that’s the same color as your tooth. Then, they’ll use the resin to fill the chip, crack, or gap before filing it down so it blends in perfectly. Since the resin is the same color as your natural teeth, only you and your dentist will be able to tell you’ve had bonding work.
Bonding is not painful. If your crack or chip isn’t deep, you may not even need anesthetic for the procedure. You can go right back to your normal eating and dental care routine once your appointment is over.
Veneers
Porcelain veneers are essentially thin, tooth-shaped pieces of porcelain that fit over the front of your tooth or teeth. Since they hide the whole visible portion of your tooth, they can be used to mask a wide range of cosmetic dental concerns such as discoloration, chips, or cracks. People with minor dental misalignment sometimes use them to make their teeth appear straighter, too.
Porcelain veneers are a big commitment. Your dentist has to remove some of your tooth enamel in order to attach the veneer. So, once you get veneers, you do have to stick with them for the rest of your life. However, if you want to transform your smile without surgery or other more invasive means, porcelain veneers are hard to beat.
You might think of veneers as being bright white and incredibly obvious – but that doesn’t have to be the case. Veneers can be customized, so if you want a more natural look, your dentist can certainly give you one by choosing veneers with a more natural color and shape.
For the most part, you can eat and drink normally with veneers. You’ll just want to avoid the hardest and crunchiest of foods, like ice chips and shelled nuts, in order to avoid chipping your veneers. Of course, it’s a good idea to avoid these foods even if you don’t have veneers; you don’t want to chip a tooth, either!
Crowns
In some cases, a veneer may not fully mask a tooth that is discolored or otherwise damaged. For example, if your first molar or premolar is discolored, it might still be visible when you open your mouth, even with a veneer. In a case like this, your dentist may recommend a dental crown.
A dental crown is essentially an enamel or porcelain “cap” that fits over the entire tooth. Crowns are usually put in place to protect a weak or damaged tooth. However, they can be applied cosmetically, too.
If your dentist feels a crown is a good fit, they’ll start by removing a thin layer of enamel from your tooth. This ensures there is room around the tooth for the crown to fit. They’ll then take an impression of your tooth. The lab will use this impression to make a perfectly fitted crown to put over your tooth. Your dentist will typically install a temporary crown to protect your tooth while the permanent one is being made.
Because today’s dental crowns are made with tooth-colored materials, they look just like natural teeth. You can eat, drink, and brush your teeth as usual once your permanent dental crown is in place.
Cosmetic dentistry is for everyone. If you’re unhappy with your smile, reach out to Orange City Modern Dentistry to schedule an appointment. Our friendly and knowledgeable dentists will assess your smile, evaluate your dental health, and listen to your concerns before recommending the treatment that’s right for you.